Moving at ludicrous speed
Some games age like fine wine, others like porridge. The latter is the case for Rise of the Triad. I adored this game growing up. I remember getting the shareware on a 3.5-inch floppy disk and losing myself in its wacky world over a weekend growing up. This game is like if Doom and Duke Nukem combined in a backdrop of Christian iconography and infinite ammo. It is fast, chaotic, and just plain weird and I loved it. However, it hasn’t aged well so if you don’t have nostalgia for the series this might not be your jam, but I found myself lost once again in the aptly named Ludicrous shooter.
The plot of Rise of the Triad could not be more ridiculous if it tried. Players take on the role of a member of H.U.N.T., a covert operation who is tasked with taking down a cult that is attempting to launch nukes at Los Angeles. Did I also mention they bear a striking resemblance to a certain group of hated individuals from the Second World War. The idea is to infiltrate San Nicolas island, stop this cult, and of course save the day. It is wild and wacky and honestly a backdrop to keep players moving from maze-style level to maze-style level.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
If you have never played a Rise of the Triad entry the formula is pretty simple. It is one of those shooters from the 90s that are designed with giant mazes and plenty of enemies to mow down. Rise of the Triad is one that doesn’t get a ton of mention though with the sudden influx of boomer shooter discussion. It felt like it was overlooked and underappreciated in its day. I was a big fan. I first experienced it from a shareware disc someone gave me and was immediately hooked. It had the same look and design as the games built on the Duke Nukem engine with the frenetic game play of something like Unreal or Quake. Yet it somehow inherited the enemy design from something like Wolfenstein. You could tell the developers were fans of a lot of the same games I grew up with.
The hook for Rise of the Triad though was the powers that the main character could wield. Taking the reference literally, the protagonist could wield God powers which would allow them to float around and shoot projectiles from their hands and quickly disperse enemies into voids of black dust. It felt great and was extremely visceral. There is also a magic bone that turns players into a dog that can wreak havoc, so as you can see, this game took everything to a new level as far as being outlandish.
This edition brings back all the content included in the original game including all expansion campaigns as well as an entirely new episode created specifically for this release from the original developers of the game. There is a ton of content packed in here and all of it retains the same level of ridiculousness as the original game. While I enjoy the locales and such the game does end up feeling a bit repetitive at times. The level design can be confusing, and the enemies are lacking variety. Revisiting this game really opened my eyes to its shortcomings. That isn’t to say I didn’t still enjoy my time with the game, because I did, it just disintegrated some of the rose-tinting on my nostalgia glasses.
The art design as I mentioned looks like a game that was born from the Duke Nukem engine. It runs at a blistering fast frame rate on modern consoles with nary a hitch in the frame rate. The design wears thing quickly though as the maze-like levels start to look really familiar and the jump pads are constantly sending me so far in the air, I lose my sense of where I am constantly. The sounds are classic, and the music is definitely unique to these types of games.
The online mode is also included with all the original maps and modes and is frenetic and fun for a little while. I hopped in a few games without issues, but after about 10-15 matches I kind of had my fill. I couldn’t see myself returning to this for more than curiosity unless I had a devoted group of friends to play with, which simply isn’t going to happen.
Rise of the Triad is back, and it makes me happy, but if you didn’t have nostalgia for the series, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. The game hasn’t aged as well as others from its era and sometimes it moves TOO frantically for its own good. Still, I love the era where even the most obscure title can somehow be resurrected, and I am glad it exists. I just don’t recommend diving in unless you have a soft spot for the quirky shooter from its original release.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
